ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The fate of the Russian Church in Sofia will be decided by the Russian Orthodox Church 

Руската църква
Photo: Ани Петрова

Citizens gathered in front of the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, widely known as the Russian Church, in Sofia to express their dissatisfaction with its closing. 

"The Russian temple, which for many years was a place of common prayer for Russians and Bulgarians, will now be closed," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said after the Bulgarian authorities decided to expel the church's head and two Belarusian priests. This was done on the grounds that the clerics posed a threat to national security. 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Military Affairs, Todor Tagarev, said that the services had compelling information that the three were serving Moscow's geopolitical interests. "There is a SANS report that shows that they are carrying out actions that are not consistent with their status in Bulgaria," Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said. 

"The Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker will at this stage cease its activities, its further fate will be decided by the Russian Orthodox Church," reads a message on the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in the country.

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova told Russia-24 online live TV channel that the Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Atanas Kristin will be summoned at the Russian Foreign Ministry over the expulsion of the three priests. "I think that no one will take mirror actions with regard to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Moscow. We are not barbarians," Mitrofanova said.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria News    Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker Eleonora Mitrofanova Maria Zakharova the Russian Church Todor Tagarev

More from category

IMF recommends higher social security and property taxes in Bulgaria from 2026

The International Monetary Fund has recommended increasing social security and property taxes from 2026 . This was made clear during the hearing of representatives of the Fund's regular mission in the Budget Committee of the National Assembly. It also..

published on 9/19/25 6:15 PM

Vice President Iliana Iotova visits the Bulgarians in Moldova

Vice President Iliana Iotova is visiting Taraclia, Moldova, on September 19-20. Today, she is an official guest at a ceremony to award the winners of the essay contest organized by the Bulgarian National Radio for schoolchildren..

published on 9/19/25 4:30 PM

Charges filed in Germany against crypto queen Ruja Ignatova

The prosecutor's office in Germany has filed charges against Ruja Ignatova, the head of the office in Bielefeld, Carsten Novak, said. The woman, who has Bulgarian and German citizenship, is suspected of having created a pyramid scheme..

published on 9/19/25 3:43 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Clear
Min: 11 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 25
Partly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 26
Clear
Min: 10 | Max: 31
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 29
Clear
Min: 11 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 27
Clear
Min: 14 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 27
Clear
Min: 10 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 28
Clear
Min: 13 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 12 | Max: 28
Clear
Min: 10 | Max: 26
Clear
Min: 12 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 28
Clear
Min: 14 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 15 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 27
Partly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 23
Clear
Min: 11 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 27
Partly Cloudy
Min: 14 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 27
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 28
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

The village of Dolni Rakovets near Pernik is hosting the Garlic Festival

The Garlic Festival will be held on September 21 and 22 at the stadium in the village of Dolni Rakovets, Radomir Municipality, Pernik Region . The..

published on 9/20/25 7:35 AM

The "Big Table" initiative will take place in Sofia for the last time this year

In the summer of 2024, a Sofia municipality and its residents showed how we can be happy and united as a community, sitting at one table. In July 2024, on..

published on 9/20/25 9:15 AM

Burgas hosts Eldrive EV Festival 2025

The Eldrive EV Fest 2025 will be held today at the Burgas Sea Station. The event is dedicated to electric cars and its program includes..

published on 9/20/25 5:35 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"